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Alberto Morelato, co-owner, Wooden Store, Verona, Italy

— June 17, 2015

The Wooden Store chain of stores opened in Verona in 2011 and now counts five stores, all based in Northern Italy. Each of these stores offers their own apparel total look Wooden street-chic brands and a series of accessories. “Our customers appreciate our own characteristic look,” explains co-owner Alberto Morelato. “They enter our stores and ask us: “Please, dress me. I trust you and your taste.” The stores are co-owned by three different partners, each owning a 25% quota of the company, and another 25% is owned by entrepreneurs Edoardo and Stefano Ambrosini managers of the Interpool Spa, Italian outdoor and apparel specialist. Interview: Maria Cristina PavariniWhat are the current bestsellers and why?Our bestselling brand is our own total look apparel private label Wooden that we design and produce. People appreciate it for its cool image and constant new updates. In fact they can find new product injections every week in our stores. They also appreciate its adequate price-quality ratio especially thanks to its good quality level - most of the offer is manufactured in the Carpi knitwear apparel district. Prices are affordable since a t-shirt may cost €30-€42, a pair of trousers from €60 to €89. Also selling well are some accessory and footwear brands such as, for instance, Nike and a few special edition models of Birkenstock. Also successful are Nixon watches, Kjøre Project bags and Volta footwear. We also produce an own footwear brand – Diemme -, characterised by 100% made in Italy handcrafted leather shoes.

Impression of the Wooden store in Verona

Do people buy according to their favorite brand, style, or impulse? They mostly trust what we offer them. They are not looking for a specific brand but for a style, because we sell a style which is unconventional and made up, for instance, short and boxy trousers, somehow Japan-inspired, and three-quarter sleeves, or shirts made from top-quality jersey.

Where do you order from? How do you inform yourself about trends? We always check for new ideas and products via internet, blogs and social networks. We also visit international trade shows such as CIFF and Capsule. Plus we love to look at how people in the streets are dressed.

How important is the communication with regular customers? How do you communicate with them?We communicate with them via social networks. We constantly post pics of new products we sell in our stores, about two-three every day and we always get 300-400 likes per image.

How do the collections you offer for next fall/winter look like? And what will be the most important trends, in general?We think that for men there will be a return of the coat. The coolest way to wear it is by mixing it with a shirt or a long t-shirt, short and low-crotch trousers, all very classic and clean. For women there will be wide fits, not romantic but similar to trousers worn by men, wide and short with batwing sleeves and Japan-inspired fit pieces.

Did you add any new labels to your assortment?We will add, for instance, Clear Weather, a new US sneaker brand that is very successful there right now. Also newly added are Puma sneakers and Chippewa boots which both fit well with jeans.

How does your store differ from other stores?We offer our customer very precise image products and we are launching new products every week. They also appreciate our made in Italy quality. Plus we only sell washed products – this way you won’t have any surprise when you wash them at home – and the mood they convey is always different. This is what differentiates us because all of our products are not meant to last for about two months only but for longer – both in terms of quality and long lasting trends.

What do you like about your customers?We like that they always trust us – not only those with classic tastes but also those who are looking for more particular products, longer knitted tops or out-of-the-ordinary pieces of clothing. We like when they say: “Dress me. I trust you and your taste.”

How important is the interior, the atmosphere and the whole package? It’s a key aspect. For instance, all of our stores are decorated with wooden elements and floors. It is simply natural not smoothened, but simply treated in order to make it more resistant. There are no decors or refinements that remind of some typical Northern European unpolished floors. All of our chairs are also vintage and almost each of them is different from the other, as almost every other furniture piece.